Back to the Chickens – Lake Elsinore, CA

This post is the fifth in a series of entries on our journeys through California during April and May of 2010…

Back in January of 2009, we were looking for somewhere to do a little work in exchange for somewhere to park the RV for a few weeks while we began work on a book. Today, almost a year and a half later, that book is ready to release and… we are back where we started – geographically speaking.

As the Ink Dries…

Back in December of 2008 we made a visit to our friend Marc Greene from Outreach Media in Oceanside, CA. During a lunch where we shared with him the 5 character traits behind Share5, he commented that we should share the concept more broadly by writing a book on it. I guess you could say [...]

Demolition in Simi Valley, CA!

This is part 3 in our California Wrap-up series, highlighting our April and May travels in the state of California…

Wrapping Up California – part 1

It had been a little over a year since we last visited Southern California, so the months of April and May have felt a little like a reunion.  In the next few posts, we’ll be bringing you a few of the highlights! View photos from Easter to Catalyst West at our Flickr Photostream Grace Harvest [...]

“I Can’t”, or “I Won’t” ???

I was on the phone with a friend recently who said that she wanted to introduce our organization to another organization she thought we should get to know and possibly even work with. Similar to the Kentucky “Different Miracle” project we participated in back in 2009, they had just recently been to Nevada and completed an “extreme makeover” of their own… on the living quarters of six young ladies that worked for and lived at their place of employment – Nevada’s oldest brothel.

Soon to Be Off The Streets- March Share5 Project of the Month

UthBuild builds simple and secure homes for less fortunate families. We use youth to do it, and in so doing, help them perform beyond their own expectations. Building Youth, Dismantling Poverty. Join us.

Can Your Coffee Do That?

This morning, shortly after rolling out of bed, I got the amazing pleasure of helping a Rwandan genocide survivor reconcile with the very man who murdered her husband just over 15 years ago. Then I was able to provide the funds for a farmer to purchase a specialty piece of equipment to transport his precious crop cargo to the processing center that I helped build. To polish off what must seem like the perfect morning, I envisioned the children that would soon begin playing a soccer match on a field of green grass built on ground that only fifteen years ago ran red with the blood of innocent genocide victims. It was an amazing morning, and yet my day had only just begun.

No Room At The Inn – Part 1 of 3 on Homelessness

The following is part one of three Christmas guest blogs written by Chad Houck for GivMusic.com.  An excerpt of each post will be posted here, and you can go to GivMusic’s blog for the full series!  As we approach our Christmas and New Year’s festivities, may we be mindful and purposeful toward those who find [...]

12 Days of Christmas Homeless Push

While I understand that there are no longer 12 full days before Christmas, I also understand that the issue of homelessness and the plight of those without a home will not go away on December 26th. With that, I would like to challenge you to consider taking on the challenge within the 12for12k “12 Days of Christmas Homeless Push” at http://12for12k.org/2009/12/11/12-days-12-ways-to-help-the-homeless . It provides 12 simple, practical ways that you can both create an impact and increase your awareness of both this issue and those that find themselves in the unfortunate place of being affected by it.

UthBuild – Birthing a Ministry

(originally written for the Nov 2009 e-bulletin of Bethany Community Church in Tempe, AZ ) Birthed at Bethany – The UthBuild Story If you were to visit the High School Ministries room at Bethany Community Church on one specific night just over a year ago, you would likely have not recognized that something new was [...]